Cambodia

The Jewel Temples of King Jayavarman VII, an exclusive Sidecar-bike tour

day tour

tour highlights

Ride like no one else does

Visit Preah Khan Temple

Visit Kro Ko Temple

Visit Neak Pean

Visit Ta Som

tour details

Be picked-up at your hotel by amazingly well restored classic sidecar-bikes, for a memorable experience, and start your morning journey to discover some of the smallest yet remarkable and magnificent temples built by King Jayavarman VII in the second half of the 12th century.King Jayavarman VII was generally considered the most powerful of the Khmer monarchs by historians. Over the 30 some years of his reign, Jayavarman embarked on a grand program of construction that included both public works and a large number of monuments. As a Mahayana Buddhist, his declared aim was to alleviate the suffering of his people.

tour description

You will ride approximately 30 minutes from the city center, to Preah Khan temple while passing by Angkor Wat, entering through Angkor Thom's South Gate, get a glimpse of Bayon, the terraces of the Elephants and Leper King before exiting through the North Gate to reach Preah Khan.

Preah Khan Temple is located in the Angkor Archaeological Park and is still largely unrestored. Its aesthetics are very similar to nearby famous Angkor temple Ta Prohm, with vegetation and trees seeming to swallow the ruins. Preah Khan translates to "Holy Sword" in Khmer, named by Jayavarman VII in honor of his battle victory against the invading force of Chams, who belonged to a kingdom in what is now Vietnam, in the year 1191.

Kro Ko, which means "the shed of the oxen", is a single tower monument with two enclosing walls built of laterite with an entry tower at the east and a moat with steps. There is a library built of laterite and sandstone opening to the west on the left of the interior courtyard. The Central Sanctuary stands on a terrace in the shape of a cross.

Neak Pean is small and a collection of five ponds with unique features. Some historians believe that it represents Anavatapta, a mythical lake in the Himalayas whose waters are thought to cure all illness. Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purposes (the ancients believed that going into these pools would balance the elements in the bather, thus curing disease and is based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance with four connected pools representing Water, Earth, Fire and Wind.

Little is known about the purpose of Ta Som temple, but it may have been dedicated to the King's father or one of his teachers. Ta Som was swallowed up by the jungle until the 1930's, when it was cleared out enough for visitors to access the site, but left in its mostly unrestored state. Ta Som depicts both Hindu and Buddhist icons, as the official Angkor religion switched back and forth over the centuries.